Cigar Review: Camacho Liberty 2010

It’s that time of the year that Camacho releases the yearly Liberty edition and having seen these in one of my local shops, Fume located in Montclair, New Jersey I had to pick up a few of them for review. I’ll be honest in saying the Liberty series has been hit or miss for me but I will always run out and pick them up to smoke. In the past I reviewed the 2007 , 2008, 2009 and to be honest with you I wish I had the others laying around to say I have reviewed the whole series to date.

As with past releases the 2010 Camacho Liberty is a limited edition and comes in a casket which is numbered. I bought 3 of these and having smoked the other 2 I am using the casket number 4,751 out of 40,000 to finalize the review. So without further adieu lets see how this cigar compares to the past editions.

Appearance and Construction: I will admit I was hoping to see a barber poll this year but the Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper did not come as a disappointment. The Sumatra wrapper on the diadema size has a nice sheen to it and a few thin veins present. It is firm to the touch with no soft spots and is definitely packed with tobacco. The cigar utilizes a 2 band system with the colors of blue & silver. The traditional band is slightly over-sized with the Camacho logo and 2010 underneath while the foot band denotes Liberty Series. The cigars are packed in individually numbered coffins and the cigars them selves wrapped in tissue paper.

Camacho Liberty 2010

Flavor & Notes: The prelight draw is sheer heaven with notes of cedar that is wrapped with a nice thick molasses with a touch of mesquite that has me in heaven. The foot serves up some more of the molasses/mesquite note that has me craving some bbq ribs. Whenever I come across a cigar like this I want to just enjoy the notes and pull the flavor right out of the cigar. However, after a few minutes I cave in and light it up with my torch. Once lit the cigar offers a nice sweetness with some spices. As I worked my way into the first third the sweetness was sugary sweet with some wood notes with some mild coffee thrown into the mix. As we enter the second third of the cigar the spice begins to kick it up slightly, and there is still a underlying sweetness but it is almost gone. The cedar note is really strong and enjoyable at the same time. As we begin to close out the 2nd third some nut like notes emerge giving the cigar a nice balance. As we enter the final third of the cigar a hint of molasses returns but the dominant notes of nuts, cedar and spice all fight for attention making this a very complex and tasty cigar with a subtle coffee note on the finish.

Smoking Characteristics:Make sure you have the time to invest in this cigar as it is a long smoke. The 2nd third of the cigar took a long time to get through and smoking time for me was a little more then 2 hours in total, but keep in mind I am what some people call a slow smoker. The burn of the cigar was incredibly crisp. The light color ash held well especially in the middle of the cigar and it produced and ample volume of smoke. I know in the past I have said a cigar has had a nice aroma, but this one really stands out with an aroma that compliments the notes.

Conclusion: Is this the best Camacho Liberty Series to date, I would argue that it isn’t. But it is right up there with some of the best. The full bodied smoke is definitely the fullest to date in the series. While searching for blend information Michael Herklots the General Manager of Davidoff sent me a link to an article he penned for Haute Living that is worth a read so check it out. In conclusion these are definitely a must smoke if your a fan of the Liberty Series, and are definitely worth a buy even if you haven’t been.

Rating: 90Price: $16.60

If you call Buckhead Cigar in Atlanta, they are selling these for $15.00 each so give them a call if your interested in ordering some. They can be reached at (404) 844-0400.

Disclaimer: I asked Dylan Austin the Director of Marketing over at Camacho for the component information of the cigar. He told me the wrapper was Ecuadorian Sumatra but some literature from Camacho states Honduran. Hopefully someone from Camacho will be kind enough to leave a comment to clarify this although I’m willing to bank Dylan’s information.